The City of Tears

Description

Following on from the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse's The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic in The Burning Chambers series, for fans of Ken Follett and Dan Brown. June 1572: for ten, violent years the Wars of Religion have raged across France. Neighbours have become enemies, countless lives have been lost, the country has been torn apart over matters of religion, citizenship and sovereignty. But now a precarious peace is in the balance: a royal wedding has been negotiated by Catherine de' Medici and Jeanne d'Albret, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and Henri, the Huguenot king of Navarre. It is a marriage that could see France reunited at last. Meanwhile in Puivert, an invitation has arrived for Minou Joubert and her family to attend this historic wedding in Paris in August. But what Minou does not know is that the Joubert family's oldest enemy, Vidal, will also be there. Nor that, within days of the marriage, on the eve of the Feast Day of St Bartholomew's, Minou's family will be scattered to the four winds and one of her beloved children will have disappeared without trace . . . A breath-taking novel of revenge, persecution and loss, sweeping from Paris and Chartres to the City of Tears itself - the great refugee city of Amsterdam - this is a story of one family's fight to stay together, to survive and to find each other, against the devastating tides of history . . .

Kate Mosse is a number one international bestselling novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer. The author of several novels and short-story collections - including the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy (Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel) and Gothic fiction The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter, which she is adapting for the stage - her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and published in more than forty countries. She is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction and a regular interviewer for theatre and fiction events. Kate divides her time between Chichester in West Sussex and Carcassonne in south-west France.

That rare thing, a novel with vast scope and ambition, brilliantly achieved, but also deeply personal, finely detailed and nuanced. I was utterly immersed in this spell-binding story -- Rosamund Lupton, author of Three Hours A gorgeously written, utterly absorbing epic and, despite being set in the sixteenth century, has some very pertinent messages for our time about the evils of religious persecution and the transcendent power of love and family. In case it's not clear enough yet, I absolutely LOVED it -- Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting Party Magnificent, epic -- Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups [A] dramatic, immersive tale of secrets, conspiracies, fanaticism and loss * Daily Mail * Mosse's novel is an enjoyable, intricately plotted piece of escapism * The Times * Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative in this second volume of a planned sequence * Sunday Times * The focus in her historical fiction has always been on the untold stories of women and Minou is an appealing heroine. Mosse includes all the ingredients you would expect from a historical epic - murder, treachery, lost children, stolen relics, buried secrets - but she also dramatises the complexities of 16th-century French and Dutch politics without weighing it down. This is a compelling story of how political upheavals play out in individual lives -- Stephanie Merritt * The Observer * Religious fanaticism, political intrigue and the heart-wrenching tale of a lost child add to a highly readable historical adventure, with women firmly centre stage * Mail on Sunday * Every inch a classic Mosse novel, The City of Tears is diligently researched, beautifully written and, crucially right now, both substantial and immersive - if you want to leave 21st-century pandemic Britain behind, this should be your preferred mode of transport * Radio Times * Deft touches show a mastery of preparation, suspension and resolution within the historical thriller form * Financial Times * This powerful story of love, secrets and deceit is pacy, rich and stylish - and as compelling as they come. One to stay up late for -- Isabel Ashdown, author of Lake Child A vibrant sequel to 2018's Burning Chambers . . . The fascinating historical detail fuels the drama and keeps the plot zipping along * Publisher's Weekly * Mosse's narrative lyricism, beautifully drawn female characters and deft journey from the past to the present day are a cut above -- Scotland on Sunday on The Burning Chambers Mosse is a master storyteller -- Madeline Miller, author of Circe A powerful storyteller with an abundant imagination * Daily Telegraph * Mosse's fans will relish this tale of secrets, love and treachery -- The Times on The Burning Chambers Another of Mosse's immersive dramas, which takes you to the heart of the past -- Grazia on The Burning Chambers Gripping, complex and intensely atmospheric -- Mail on Sunday on The Burning Chambers